Success is the most important thing in life according to Ji- Su's parents. They simply want the best future for her: the best college and the best husband. They've forced Ji-Su to meet with a matchmaker who sets her up on dates, hoping that she will find a boyfriend who will help make her future stronger. Ji-Su works her butt off in school trying to make a difference for her future. But in a high school for excellent students, it's impossible for her to stand out. After she does poorly on a test and reschedules a date to have fun with her friends, it's the last straw for her parents. The next morning they put her on a plane for San Francisco. There she will attend a private school, but not such a prestigious one. Ji-Su doesn't get to say goodbye to her friends. She spends most of the plane ride crying her eyes out. But once she lands, she dries her tears and attempts to make the best of it. And she does; she has new friends, time to explore the new city, time to take photographs, and still do well in school and go on dates set up by her matchmaker. Could this move have been for the best?

Melissa de la Cruz pens a story influenced by her sister-in-law in this charming YA contemporary romance 29 DATES. The novel is interspersed with conversations from the 29 dates. She has captured the intensity and stress of getting into college, figuring out what you'd like to do with your life, and balancing happiness with work.

Book Summary

How many dates will it take to find The One?

Ji-su’s traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul’s premiere matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Ji-su’s success, and going on the recommended dates is Ji-su’s compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she’ll have the opportunity to shine academically—and be set up on more dates!

Navigating her host family, her new city and school, and more dates, Ji-su finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Ji-su into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn’t parent and matchmaker approved?